TYPES OF EATING DISORDERS

What is Anorexia Nervosa?

Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by an intense fear of weight gain. It involves an ongoing pattern of self-starvation and a preoccupation with food and losing weight.

Signs and symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa are:

Weight below 85% of expected weight. Amenorrhea (loss of menstrual period). Disturbed by body image and denial of thinness. Hyperactivity and excessive exercise. Loss of hair (and possible growth of body hair – lanugo). Low pulse rate. Sensitivity to cold. Nervousness at meal times. Playing with or cutting food into small pieces. Increased isolation from family and friends. Perfectionism, tendency to be highly self-critical. Compulsive exercise and compulsive cleaning. May have alternating episodes of binge eating and purging.

What is Bulimia Nervosa?

Bulimia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating followed by self-induced vomiting or purging through excessive exercise, or use of laxatives or diuretics.

What is Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder?

An eating or feeding disturbance (e.g., apparent lack of interest in eating or food; avoidance based on the sensory characteristics of food; concern about aversive consequences of eating) as manifested by persistent failure to meet appropriate nutritional and/or energy needs associated with one (or more) of the following:

Significant weight loss (or failure to achieve expected weight gain or faltering growth in children). Significant nutritional deficiency. Dependence on enteral feeding or oral nutritional supplements. Marked interference with psychosocial functioning. The disturbance is not better explained by lack of available food or by an associated culturally sanctioned practice. The eating disturbance does not occur exclusively during the course of anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, and there is no evidence of a disturbance in the way in which one’s body weight or shape is experienced. The eating disturbance is not attributable to a concurrent medical condition or not better explained by another mental disorder. When the eating disturbance occurs in the context of another condition or disorder, the severity of the eating disturbance exceeds that routinely associated with the condition or disorder and warrants additional clinical attention.

What is Binge Eating Disorder?

Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating and the absence of inappropriate compensatory behaviors that are characterized by Bulimia Nervosa.

Signs and symptoms of BED are:

A sense of lack of control over eating while binging. Eating large amounts of food when not hungry. Eating alone due to embarrassment over how much one is eating. Feeling guilty or depressed after binging. A possible history of marked weight fluctuations. Depression, anxiety, self-loathing, and interpersonal sensitivity.

What Are The Similarities?

May develop as a way to cope with stress and anxiety. Eating disorders appear to run in families with female relatives most often affected. While genetic factors may predispose some people to an eating disorder, other influences, both behavioral and environmental, may also play a role. Individuals with anorexia tend to be “too good to be true.”

Rarely disobey Keep their feelings to themselves Tend to be perfectionists, good students, and excellent athletes.

Some researchers believe that people with anorexia restrict food to gain a sense of control or to cope with the problems of typical adolescence – growing up and becoming independent. Controlling their weight appears to offer two initial advantages: they can take control of their bodies and gain approval from others. Individuals with bulimia and binge eating disorder typically consume huge amounts of food to reduce stress and relieve anxiety. Purging only brings temporary relief and is followed by guilt and shame. Individuals with bulimia tend to be impulsive and more likely to engage in risky behavior such as abuse of alcohol and drugs.

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The Cambridge Eating Disorder Center provides individuals suffering with eating disorders a comprehensive continuum of support services focused on their recovery. Our treatment programs focus on reducing the eating disorder symptoms while promoting the development of a healthy self that encompasses both emotional and physical well-being.